AUGUST 17, 1998:
Richard Buckner's lyrics are so poetic that during our conversation I suggest
he publish them in book form. "Thanks, I want to be as recognized as Jewel,"
he laughs. It's a hearty laugh for a guy whose songs tend to sound serious,
but Buckner's albums have always been loaded with contrast: darkness and
light, desire and fear, and the lure (or demand) of the road versus the
need to lay down roots.

His third and newest album, Since (MCA), combines the seemingly
disparate sounds of dusty folk and blues with distinctly modern rhythms.
It sounds like a strange combination, but the crooked mountain melodies
from which this thirtysomething Northern Californian draws play perfectly
on the off-kilter rhythms and stark arrangements of some of rock's most
uncompromising players. Produced by J.D. Foster (who also produced Buckner's
major-label debut, devotion + doubt), Since owes its striking
sound partly to the dynamic interplay between Chicago experimental rockers
John McEntire (drums for Tortoise and the Sea and Cake) and David Grubbs
(organ and piano for Gastr del Sol), both of whom Buckner hand-picked for
the project.

"I wanted McEntire to take me out of this 4/4 Eagles thing I tend to
get stuck in," he explains, "and it was amazing how the songs changed shape
when he came in; they got hotter and more aggressive. Then Grubbs played
a few chords on the piano and they cooled right down." Buckner is, in effect,
connecting past and present within his songs, but he shrugs off any grand
philosophy or intent. "I just happen to like all this different stuff."

Buckner's latest is not only more dynamic but seemingly more optimistic
than devotion + doubt, which offered a sad but stunning glimpse
into the demise of his marriage. "Since is more positive. It's a
rock-and-roll record, so the tone's more upbeat; they [the musicians who
played on it] saw to that." The rest of Buckner's assembled cast -- guitarists
Dave Schramm and Chris Cochrane and pedal-steel player/unofficial fifth
Son Volt member Eric Heywood -- create a crunch-and-twang backdrop for
his evocative songs (former Golden Palomino Syd Straw also makes a vocal
cameo). There are still plenty of reflective, quiet moments, though, where
Buckner's singing soars above and slips below his fingerpicked melodies
on the acoustic guitar. His gentle vocal timbre revels in the strange-but-true
stories of rumpled, romantic souls, mostly his own.

As on Buckner's previous two releases, the songs on Since are
rife with imagery -- nights that roar, spirits that glide, lovers who slip
away -- inspired by the nomadic lifestyle he lives and the many characters
he's encountered along the way. "I'd been traveling a lot when I wrote
these songs, so some of them got written in Motel 6's. I tried to hold
back on the stupid motel references, but they kept popping up; that had
been my existence, and you write about your existence." But where he once
focused on intense introspection for material, Buckner now looks outward
a bit more. "The songs are based on different characters I'd been meeting
and different situations I'd gotten into on the road, some of which were
pretty astounding. They're partly fictional, but they're all about stuff
that really happened. I found that the farther you go from home, the more
trouble you can find, and there's a lot of trouble out there."

"Out there" is where Buckner continues to spend most of his time. Although
he's been in Edmonton a few months, working with a Canadian drummer and
playing folk festivals ("Walking in on some of these folk events with a
26-inch bass drum is kind of like saying 'Fuck God' in a church," he jokes),
Buckner's home is still the road, and he carries his gear around with him
in his truck. "I've got all my guitars in there and about 300 CDs to listen
to. The rest of my stuff is in a storage space in Bakersfield, California.
It's a good excuse to go there, because every Friday and Saturday night,
Buck Owens plays. It's mostly locals, and you can get in for five bucks
and slow-dance with someone to 'Together Again.' Next door is a freaky
Best Western with the most screwball karaoke bar I've ever seen, and down
a block is Zingo's, a gourmet truck stop. It's like the Miracle Mile of
Bakersfield, just characters deluxe."

Songwriting inspiration notwithstanding, Buckner acknowledges that the
road wreaks havoc on one's personal life. "It's hard to keep in contact
with people or make any long-lasting relationships if you're leaving every
couple of days or you don't even know when you're going to be in your hotel
room to get a phone call. Things are kind of up in the air right now --
I'm trying to figure out where to go next -- but I'm feeling like I have
to move somewhere for the winter. I've got a few things I'd like to hang
on a wall sometime."